Swiss stocks - Factors to watch on Sept 27

The following are some of the main factors expected to affect Swiss stocks:

NESTLE

The Swiss food company would like to expand its footprint in the United States in sparkling water and premium still water, Chief Executive Mark Schneider said late on Tuesday at an investor seminar where he laid out his vision for the company that included setting a margin target, a first, following pressure from an activist investor.

The head of activist investor Third Point, which has pushed for change at Nestle NESN.S, complimented the Swiss company on its investor seminar on Tuesday, saying he could tell a lot of work went into it.

HUBER+SUHNER

Chief Executive Urs Ryffel said it will likely take two to three years to boost margins at its fibre optics business back into double-digit percentages, according to an interview in Swiss newspaper Finanz und Wirtschaft.

SYNGENTA AG

Syngenta said on Tuesday it agreed to settle U.S. farmer lawsuits stemming from its decision to commercialize a genetically modified (GMO) strain of corn before China approved importing it, and a person familiar with the matter said the payment would be close to $1.5 billion.

COMPANY STATEMENTS

* Georg Fischer said it has agreed to purchase 100 percent of the shares of Symmedia GmbH, Bielefeld (Germany), which employs 60 people.

* Vifor Pharma said it has expanded its exclusive license agreement for the commercialisation of Mircera in the United States.

* WiseKey said it intends to acquire additional shares from minority shareholders. Its board of directors also approved a reorganization of its group management. Carlos Moreira and Peter Ward will continue to form its executive management team in their roles as chief executive officer and chief financial officer, respectively, while Carlos Moreno will no longer be a member of the Company’s executive management team. The group’s wider management will be formed by Bernard Vian and Roman Brunner.

* Ypsomed said the groundbreaking had taken place for its new production facility in the Industrial Park of Schwerin, Germany for which it plans to invest over 100 million euros.